Addressing the urgent health challenges of climate change and ecosystem degradation from a One Health perspective: what can veterinarians contribute?

Abstract

Abstract Since the field of One Health was introduced in the early 2000s, veterinary medicine has provided leadership in working with other disciplines and sectors to identify effective, sustainable solutions to complex health problems that are shared by humans, animals, and the environment. Human-induced climate change has accelerated since the Industrial Age, resulting in serious adverse human, animal, and environmental health consequences. We summarize several drivers of climate change and ecosystem degradation connected to veterinary medicine. Building on previous studies and observations of others, we propose a set of urgent and actionable recommendations for individual veterinarians and the veterinary profession to mitigate and adapt to the health risks posed by climate change and ecosystem degradation at community, local, state, national, and international levels. In addition, we call for emphasizing the foundational relationship between climate change and ecosystem health to human, animal, and environmental health; integrating environmental health, climate change, and the diagnosis and treatment of climate-related adverse health outcomes into veterinary medical education and research; and providing ever-greater national and global leadership and participation by the veterinary medical profession to confront the causes and health consequences of human-induced climate change and ecosystem degradation, working in collaboration with other health professions, disciplines, and sectors.